About Big Moose
Independent inspectors who know northern building stock.
Since 2004 we have inspected properties across Greater Michigan, Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota — log homes on the Upper Peninsula, century farmhouses, lakefront septic systems, downtown commercial blocks. We work for the buyer, never the deal.
- Inspecting since 2004
- InterNACHI certified
- Licensed in Wisconsin
- E&O and liability insured
2004Inspecting since
25Active inspectors
5.0From 792 reviews
3States covered
Meet the founder
Tom Ruemenapp
Tom founded Big Moose after a career in Detroit real estate with Strumco Properties and Timmis & Inman — years spent watching deals succeed or collapse on what an inspection did or did not catch. He has been inspecting since 2004 and still performs hundreds of inspections a year himself.
He also oversees the inspection team directly. That matters more than it sounds: when you call the office you reach a small team in Bessemer, not a call centre, and the person who trained your inspector is reachable.
“Communication with customers is vital.” Everything the company reinvests in — continuing education, better reporting systems, staffing — comes back to that.
- AHITGraduate, American Home Inspection Training Institute
- InterNACHICertified member since 2004
- WisconsinLicensed professional home inspector
- WAHIWisconsin Association of Home Inspectors
How we work
The inspection, start to finish.
A typical property inspection takes two to three hours. You are welcome to walk it with us — most clients do, and it is the fastest way to understand a house.
Book it
Call the Bessemer office or request a time online. We confirm by email with the agreement to sign digitally and a secure payment link.
We inspect
Structure, roof, envelope, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation. If the utilities are off we bring propane and a generator and power the house up.
We walk it with you
You see what we see. We explain what matters, what can wait, and what is simply the age of the building.
You get the report
Photo-documented, in plain English, with findings ordered by priority, in your inbox within 48 hours.
Where we draw the line
We inspect. We do not repair.
Our code of ethics forbids our inspectors from performing repairs or estimating repair costs on a property they have inspected. That is deliberate. An inspector who can profit from the problems he finds has a reason to find them.
So we will tell you plainly what is wrong and how serious it is — and then you hire a licensed contractor to price and fix it. If you want us back afterwards to confirm the work, we offer a re-inspection at a minimal fee.
The team
Twenty-five inspectors, one standard.
Every inspector works to the same reporting standard and the same code of ethics, and Tom oversees the group directly. Two customer service representatives — Ruth Bird and Rachael Paluch — handle scheduling from the Bessemer office. Three retired inspectors, Rich Quade, John Proulx and Robert Cliett, stay on as consultants for the unusual cases.
Where we work
Three states, one drive away.
Our scheduling office sits in Bessemer, on the Upper Peninsula, because it is central to the territory we actually cover — not because it is convenient for us.
- Marquette
- Escanaba
- Iron Mountain
- Traverse City
- Green Bay
- Rhinelander
- Superior
- Duluth
Ready when you are
Get the report before you get the surprise.
Call the office and we will scope the right inspection for the property. Monday to Friday 8am–6pm, Saturday 9am–2pm.